“We’ve long believed that the advertising tactics that worked for the web aren’t optimal for mobile,” said Peter Dille, CMO, Tapjoy. “We’re thrilled that a respected third party like Forrester Consulting has confirmed our beliefs about consumer attitudes toward incentivized advertising. This study shows that Tapjoy has pioneered a highly effective and unique advertising vehicle for mobile. Not only do consumers understand the value exchange concept and expect advertisements in their free-to-play apps, but participating in a value exchange model like Tapjoy can dramatically increase the relevance and level of engagement of an advertisement. Advertisers need to be considerate of user experience more than ever before.”

The study offers several recommendations for advertisers’ mobile strategies, including:

In-app advertising: not a silver bullet

• While in-app advertising is a massive market poised to grow further, about half of the respondents said they completely ignore automatically served in-app ads. Of those surveyed, 70% said they found automatically served in-app ads interruptive.

• Worse, marketers aren’t making a good impression with their current advertising inventory. Only 17% of respondents found current in-app ads interesting, 14% found them relevant, and 12% found them engaging.

• That said, more than one-third of adults in the U.S. with a smartphone who use apps monthly or more indicated they would prefer an ad-driven model for downloading apps. This suggests the majority of app users understand the value exchange concept, and expect to see ads in their free-to-play apps.

Give the consumer control and incentive

• Handing control to the consumer for their in-app advertisements can lead to higher attention levels and relevancy. Almost 40% of those surveyed said they want to select an ad from several options and pick the most relevant option, and nearly a third of respondents said they would prefer to pick from a selection of ads within an app, as well as opt-in to view or engage with an ad.

• Respondents’ top request (at 68%) of future in-app advertising was that they prefer ads that don’t interrupt their use of the app.

• Further, 59% those surveyed said they want to be offered a reward in exchange of interacting with and/or watching an in-app ad.

Be creative and leverage data

• By aligning with the right kinds of apps and designing their value exchange appropriately, marketers can boost the relevance and engagement in their mobile ads; simply offering users a large payout does not always yield the best results. Almost half of the respondents said they would rather see an ad that is relevant to the app they are currently using.

• Marketers should take advantage of the influx of data (and consumer attitudes toward their own data) to adapt their targeting tools and app usage profiles. Of those surveyed, 49% want to see ads relevant to their personal interest, and 43% want ads relevant to their current location. This is a huge opportunity for marketers, as only 31% of those surveyed said that ads that show up automatically in an app are relevant to them.

“Based on these findings, the Tapjoy Mobile Value Exchange® addresses nearly every angle of the mobile advertising opportunity that might currently frustrate advertisers,” Dille said. “Mobile advertising is a unique opportunity that requires a unique solution. We believe the response that Forrester received from consumers in this study confirms that the Tapjoy Mobile Value Exchange is an effective model to capitalize on this growing market.”

Tapjoy commissioned Forrester Consulting to evaluate the marketing opportunity within mobile apps, and the effect of various in-app marketing models on consumer attitudes and attention.